Points of Interest
by Leeren
Summary: He just wanted to know why he acted so strange, that's all. It had nothing to do with him personally. [Multichapter, in progress. Mild swearing. ToryxColin] Chapter seven posted!
1. Message

_Disclaimers: All characters depicted in this fan-made piece do not belong to the writer. No profit is being taken from this. All characters belong to their respected creators._

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February 3rd, 7:19 P.M._

_ Colin left message at 6:53 P.M.: "I don't get this chapter at all, and this week's studying didn't really help. Can you meet me somewhere on Saturday? Call me back on my cell phone. The number is 555-7296."_

Tory yawned, stretching a bit on the couch. He capped his pen, considering some of the notes from today. Other than the call from Colin, there wasn't anything worth brooding over. The whole week had been rather dull, in all honesty. Colin had been progressing all right in his lessons. His grades were improving but still not (as Mrs. Keplar had tactfully put it) "satisfactory". He considered asking him if he needed any sort of extra help during lunch like he occasionally did with Mandy, but thought against it. Colin could ask for help if he needed it, he'd reasoned, though he knew in the back of his mind that he probably wouldn't.

Unless it was necessary, Colin never approached Tory for anything. Sometimes he waved to him in the hallway or something like that, but otherwise they never really spoke to each other. Tory didn't take it personally; it seemed like he was like that with everybody. That was why the sudden call threw him for a loop. Yes, he had given both Mandy and Colin his phone number, but he had never expected Colin to actually call. Didn't seem like him. So why the sudden assertiveness?

Tory realized that none of these thoughts would ever lead to anything until he'd actually called Colin back.

He walked into the kitchen, reaching for the phone. He hesitated a second before punching in the number. Was it too soon to call back? Tory shook his head; Colin would probably want him to call back as soon as possible. They should take proper advantage of the weekend, even if their next study session was in a few days. If Colin needed help then it couldn't be helped. If his grades dropped Mrs. Keplar might drop the tutoring program, and then his plans to figuring out this whole thing with Colin would be ruined. The Gaia Project, his bouts of sickness, his distant behavior were all counts for suspicion. As he'd told Paul numerous times before, it wasn't as if he was interested in Colin. For some reason, he just had to know.

It's not like it wasn't a pain in the ass to tutor the both of then, but still. He was kind of growing fond of Mandy, even if she was a little bit too cheery for his liking sometimes. Plus, Colin always did seem sort of happy whenever Tory was able to explain it to him. He had a feeling Colin did want to do well, but couldn't. Why was that?

Tory snapped to reality to find that he'd been holding the phone in his hand and staring at it for a minute straight without pressing a single button.

_ "Quit spacing out and dial the freaking phone number already!"_he thought.

In a rush, he fumbled over the keys and punched in Colin's cell phone number. He leaned against the kitchen wall, staring at a small crack in the corner of the ceiling he'd never noticed before. It dawned on him whether or not he should get a cell phone like Colin. It'd be useful, especially in the city. If nothing else it would be convenient, too. Trying to always find a pay phone was a pain, and if he was going to commute... His mind was wandering again. It was so strange, he was usually much more focused-

"Hello?"

Tory snapped out of his thoughts, suddenly alert. He cleared his throat. "Hi. It's Tory," he said, his voice sounding rather false and cheery, even in his own head. "I got your message. About studying together."

"Ah."

Tory paused a moment, waiting for Colin to say something. The other end was quiet. Now what? Even on the phone the guy was hard to talk to. When Colin didn't say anything further, he kept talking, making sure not to babble. "Well… I was wondering where you wanted to meet up," he prompted, trying to get Colin to actually speak. Tory's conversational skills weren't the best when it came to small talk, he'd admit that, but Colin was even worse. It was best to get to the point and skip all the "how-are-you" formalities.

There was a short silence on the other end. Tory fingered the zipper on his sweatshirt. "The library, I guess. It's close."

"All right," Tory affirmed, a little encouraged by the fact that Colin had said more than one word, let alone once sentence. It was a good thing that Tory wasn't doing anything tomorrow. His schedule was completely open all weekend, in fact. "Is one o' clock all right?"

"Sure," Colin replied. His voice was just as mellow on the phone as it was in person, Tory noticed. It was almost a little low.

"All right. See you then."

"Mm-hmm. 'Bye."

Tory placed the phone on the cradle, suddenly in a much better mood. He'd write about the conversation later, though admittedly Colin didn't really say much. Still, he was determined to let nothing go unnoticed. Every detail was important, no matter how minute they may seem at the time. But, for now, he decided he'd eat the leftovers from last night before Paul got to them. He was getting hungry all of a sudden. Besides, it was better for him to eat now and get to bed earlier. He didn't want to be tired for tomorrow.

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Wow, it's been a while since you guys have heard from me, hasn't it? Sorry about that. I've been in a bit of a writing slump and didn't really have the motivation. Moving right along, I was thrilled to find that OffBeat had it's own section on Joy! Naturally, I had to start writing a fic. So! I hope you guys enjoyed chapter one. I hope there aren't too many inconsistencies, but that's hard to ascertain considering that only book one of OffBeat has been released. Heh. Well, I hope to see reviews and all that, and please enjoy the fic. Thanks very much. 


	2. Moonlight

_Disclaimer: All characters portrayed in this fan-made work belong to thier respected creators. The writer gets no currency or physical profit from this.

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In the realm of late night musings that inevitably lead to stupid thoughts like this, Tory decided sleep was like a bad friend you couldn't get rid of. When you needed it the most, it was nowhere to be found. When you didn't need OR want it, it was right there and willing, usually getting you in trouble during class. But you gave in to it anyway; hoping that this time it'll be different and maybe you'll get something good out of the relationship. But you never did.

In short, Tory couldn't sleep, and it was really starting to tick him off.

Tory rolled over and glanced at his digital clock for what must have been the eighth time in the last hour. The fluorescent numbers blinked 2:42. He groaned, placing his palm over his eyes. Maybe he had a fever or something. He felt his forehead. Nope, it was normal temperature. He didn't recall having any sugar or caffeine before bed, but he might as well have downed a gallon of espresso.

"_So much for getting to sleep early," _Tory thought, forcing his eyes shut. If this kept up he would be dead on his feet for his study session with Colin. He'd already written down the conversation they'd had earlier, but if anything happened that was worth documenting tomorrow he didn't want to be half-asleep and forget to note it.

"Sleep, dammit," he murmured to himself, as if that would work. No good. He felt restless, agitated and tired all at the same time. Why was he so on edge, especially at this hour? He felt nervous but he didn't really know why. This was definitely not normal for him. He slept like a rock more often than not. Random thoughts swirled in his head, his brain on overdrive in the latest hours. He finally gave in, opening his eyes. He idly fingered with a loose thread on his pillowcase.

"_What does Colin need help with?" _he pondered, "_Heappeared to be doing fine with the last chapter on propulsion. Maybe he's bad with kinetic energy. I have no problem with it so it should be easy, but I don't want him to start falling behind…" _Tory shook his head, halting his train of thought. "_Why do I care so much how he does in school? It's not my problem; I just want to know more… about him…"_

Tory sighed, throwing off his blankets. He sat on the side of his bed. Maybe if he moved around a little he'd be a little drowsier. Hopefully he'd bea bit less mentallyoccupied with thesethoughts.

He kneeled by the windowsill, cupping his chin in his hands. The cool breeze of the night drifted in his room from the open crack in the window. In the distance, car horns were honking noisily on the streets, breaking the silence and stillness of the darkness. Tory scoffed. What in the world any sane person would be doing up at this hour? Well, besides trying to sleep, at least. Eventually they faded into nothing, whatever upset that had occurred presumably ended. He sighed in relief. He'd hate it if it kept him up. That was the last thing he needed.

The moon was nearly full, he noticed. He could even see some of the craters in the surface, illuminating the darkness of the late hour. Stars speckled in random formations across the skyline. Tory knew that due to light pollution that the stars were noticeably less visible in the city, but he couldn't help but think that the night sky is still beautiful. He instantly recognized a few constellations: Orion's belt, the Big Dipper, and Leo were pretty easy for him to find. He tried looking for a few others, thinking it'd help him fall asleep.

"_I bet that Colin likes astronomy," _he mused. "_He kind of seems like the type to stargaze…maybe he'd like to-"_

Tory blinked. Once again his thoughts had turned to Colin. Normally this wouldn't have bothered him; after all he did think of him a lot. But this was different somehow. This was definitely strange. He never really thought of Colin in a personal manner before. To him, Colin was more like… What was he?

As twisted as it was, at first it was more like he was some sort of project. A research tool, if you will. But now he wasn't entirely sure. It was becoming more and more confusing to him. What did he want from Colin? His friendship? Companionship? Tory ran his fingers through his hair, scowling to himself. What he wanted from Colin was irrelevant. He was just some guy at school. He was just some weirdo. Tory's interest in him was purely objective. And besides, he shouldn't be thinking in such an in-depth manner about his demeanor alone. And why did he care? He'd never considered Colin's behavior on a personal level before. Before, it was like he was just a spectator on the sidelines. Tory realized that he was pretty clueless about his personal life. All he knew about Colin was what everybody else around him knew: That he was an anti-social, moody, stubborn…

A sudden image of Colin's face flashed in Tory's head, completely unbidden. He tried to think of something else but it was to no avail. He buried his face in his hands in a futile attempt to block his thoughts out. Why did he come up now, of all times? Why was his voice, his features so clear in his head- and why was he smiling? He barely ever smiled; the rare occasions he did it was never that widely. So why was he so fixated in his thoughts? He placed a hand to his chest, noticing that his heart was beating just a little faster. His cheeks felt decidedly warmer. Maybe he had a fever after all? It didn't feel like he was sick, but almost like he was-

"It's lack of sleep," he mumbled to himself incoherently. "Just lack of sleep. I'm just tired or dizzy or something. It's nothing. Nothing to do with him." Tory noted with a defeated slump that if he sounded as unconvincing to others as he did to himself, he was in real trouble.

He glared out the window at the moon almost ferociously, as if it was the source of his frustration. Suddenly it didn't seem so beautiful. Suddenly it was just a big, glaring nuisance. It was too damn bright; that's probably what was keeping him up.

As if bidden by Murphy's Law, car horns started blaring on the street again, much louder this time. Tory crawled back into bed, suddenly feeling drained. He couldn't take it any more. But in spite of his wishes, the horns continued without any signs of stopping. Stupid late-night traffic. Now he knew what his mother meant when she complained about it keeping her up at night sometimes.

"Shut up already," he growled vehemently, though the heated nature of it was more comical than anything since he had his face buried in his pillow. He punched his mattress a few times before thinking about how childish the action was. What was wrong with him? Now he was throwing tantrums like a four-year-old. Just great. He stuffed his fingers in his ears, clenching his eyes shut. This was ridiculous. If this kept up he would get into the habit of grinding his teeth or something. That'd just be one more thing to worry about, wouldn't it?

It was going to be a long night.

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Author's notes: Wow! The second chapter already. Poor Tory, I hate to pick on him; he's such a loveable character. I know not much is happening so far, but this is my first fic with multiple chapters. So please bare with me. I'm already very happy that I've gotten reviews! Thank you to **mintgreentea, Midnyte Wolf, **and **wonder1440.**


	3. Dreaming

_Disclaimers: All characters portrayed in this fan-made work belong to their respected creators. The writer gets no currency or physical profit from this._

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"_Hello?"_

_Soft echoes reverberated with each of Tory's footsteps. He was entirely enveloped in darkness. It was as if he was floating with solid ground, though there was no surface to be seen. It was the strangest sensation- to be bound to nothingness and to be freed by blindness. He walked slowly, testing each one of his movements. Tory looked around. As far as he knew, this was the closest description to oblivion. He was shocked to find, however, that he could see himself perfectly clearly. But that made no sense. There was no light at all. Logic firmly said that he wouldn't be able to even see the hand in front of his face, let alone his entire body. Still, in such a situation, ordinary placement of logic was rather useless._

_Strangely enough, he didn't feel any panic at his situation. A strong feeling of calmness and peace overwhelmed him in the darkness. Despite that, he couldn't help but wonder where he was. Maybe he was stuck there forever. He couldn't help but think of the benefits of such a prospect. He was safe, there was no pain, there was no confusion, there was no-_

_Tory blinked. There was a faint image of something approaching in the distance. He couldn't quite make it out, but it looked like a person. It drew closer and closer to him without a sound._

"…_Colin?"_

_The familiar figure stared at him, his usual deadpan expression unmistakable._

"_What are you-"_

_Colin covered Tory's mouth with his palm. His cheeks flushed with the unexpected contact. Colin placed a finger to his own lips, silently telling him to be quiet. Tory was about to retort when he realized he couldn't speak. It was as if his voice had stopped working completely. He clutched at his throat, eyes wide. What happened?_

_Suddenly, much to Tory's surprise, Colin smiled. The effect it had on him was amazing. Tory knew people always looked more attractive when they smiled, but Colin seemed to positively beam. Tory couldn't help but smile back at him in spite of himself. For a moment he forgot his predicament completely. The black-haired boy stepped closer to him, their faces merely inches apart. He'd stopped smiling, but he wasn't wearing the same stoic features as usual. Tory couldn't quite place the emotion, as it was so completely foreign on Colin. Tory could never have anticipated nor prepared for what he did next._

_Colin closed the distance between them, his lips gently pressing against Tory's. Tory's mouth was slightly open against Colin's, but miraculously his brain started working enough to close it a moment later. Colin placed a hand on Tory's shoulder, massaging it idly with his thumb. Tory's arms hung uselessly at his sides, too in shock to truly react. He could barely breathe, let alone move. His heart seemed to stop with the kiss. All he could think was how Colin's lips felt just a little cool, as if he'd been drinking something cold beforehand. Before he could try to respond, Colin broke the contact, briefly cupping Tory's cheek in his hand. Tory wanted to say something, anything, but still found that his voice was gone._

_Colin dropped his arms at his sides, never breaking eye contact with the redhead. He smiled again, allowing Tory a small wink. The gesture caught Tory completely off guard, as it was far from characteristic of the boy. What was he supposed to do after that? Wink back? Before Tory could act, and probably embarrass himself, Colin turned his back to him. As if nothing had happened, he casually started walking away. _

_Completely forgetting that his voice wasn't working, Tory tried to cry out a single word, though it came out silent._

"_Wait!"_

_He was surprised to find that Colin seemed to hear him. He faced Tory once more, still smiling. Tory couldn't help but notice that this time, the smile didn't reach his eyes. He extended his hand out to Tory, barely out of his reach. Tory tried to step towards him, but realized that he was literally rooted to the spot. Colin's image was becoming less and less distinct. Tory realized with a jolt he was fading away. He reached desperately for his hand, but was still a hair's breadth away. Colin mouthed something that Tory couldn't decipher, and faded away completely._

"_Wait for me!"__

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Tory woke with a start and sat straight up in bed, heart beating wildly. His alarm clock beeped at his side. He groaned, hitting the device much harder than necessary, and proceeded to fall back into his pillows with a light thump.

"What the hell was that?" He murmured, staring at the bottom of his top bunk. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to think. It must be some sort of subliminal dream, clearly something completely unrelated to what it appeared with simple analysis. Was there symbolism for kissing in dreams? Tory had no idea, since he wasn't very proficient on the subject. Still, it wasn't like he _really_ wanted to kiss Colin. It had to do with some kind of subconscious effect. That was it. Having dwelled so long on Colin's situation, his fixation on him had surfaced in his dreams into that of a love interest towards the boy. It was purely psychological. It was merely a sign for him to relax about the whole thing, to take it off his mind.

Or he really was attracted to Colin.

…No, he'd go with the first one.

Tory hopped out of bed, reassured by his logic towards the issue. He glanced at the digital clock, and his eyes widened. It was already 11:52. He'd never slept that late, not since he could remember. He sighed. He'd slept fitfully the whole night, but he must have gotten a few hours. He was sure that his tiredness would kick in later, but at the moment he felt fine. Wandering over to his closet, Tory abruptly realized he had no idea what he was going to wear.

He blinked once, twice, three times at that thought. He sounded like a love-struck girl. As if Colin would be the type to notice what he was wearing.

Damn it, Colin again?

The redhead sighed, once again turning his attention to his wardrobe. Should he wear the red shirt with khakis? No, that wasn't any good. Maybe the black and white shirt would be good with the cargo pants… No, that wasn't it either. His clothes shouldn't be this much trouble! This was getting to be a pain, Tory was starting to get a headache, and on top of it he was feeling pretty stupid for thinking so much about it in the fist place. There was definitely a better solution for this. As a last resort, Tory closed his eyes, thrusting his hand randomly into his closet and pulling out a shirt and pants. He opened his eyes to find a dark blue t-shirt with jeans. That would do nicely.

* * *

"Well, look who's finally up!" 

"G'morning, Mom."

Mary Blake chuckled. "Didn't get much sleep last night, kiddo?"

Tory sat at the kitchen table, slumping over. "Not really." Oh, please. That was putting it lightly.

"You know, you really should get more sleep," she chided. "Especially if you're meeting somebody to study. After all, you won't be any help to them if you can barely stay awake, don't you think?"

Tory propped his head onto his elbow, rolling his eyes. "I know, I know," he drawled. Why is it she always had to point things lie that that he already knew?

"So," she continued, "what time will you be back?"

Tory shrugged. "_Colin will probably need a while to catch up,"_ he thought. "I don't know," he replied, stretching his arms. He felt rather stiff. "Maybe around six or seven?"

His mother nodded. "All right. Be sure to be back by then. If you need me to pick you up, just call me from a pay phone."

Tory nodded. "Okay, Mom."

She placed a plate full of food in front of him, smiling at her son. "Here. Eat something. I might as well be giving you lunch, but have some breakfast."

Tory yawned, nodding. "Thanks."

"No problem, sweetie."

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It wasn't much of a walk from his house to the library, but Tory was positive he wanted to get there early. Colin had a habit of turning up at all of their study sessions early, and based on his observations this would be no different. He hurried down the street, checking his watch. Good. It was only 12:37. He should get to the library in plenty of time.

Tory looked upward as a plane soared by, filling the sky with a dull roar. It was a clear, sunny day, and a little less cold than usual. White, puffy clouds sparsely appeared in the sky. He smiled to himself. Usually he wasn't motivated to go out much, but it seemed like such a waste to spend this afternoon in the library. Especially at this time of year. Ah well, it couldn't be helped. It wasn't as if his whole day would be wasted.

When he arrived at the library a little later, he was surprised to find that Colin wasn't there yet. Tory checked his watch. The blinking numbers read 1:05. He shrugged, not thinking much of it. Colin would show up any minute and not say a word of it. Tory sighed. _"And then hours of studying in near silence," _he thought to himself, pillowing his head in his arms.

He waited at the area where they usually sat, tapping his fingers on the wooden table. Minutes ticked by. The clock on the wall showed it was five past one. He still shrugged it off. Maybe he was just running a little late. That was it.

Time kept on passing. Ten past one, a quarter past, half past…

"_This isn't like him at all."_

Tory constantly glanced at his watch, starting to get a little… frustrated? No, that was the wrong word. It wasn't so much frustration as- was he worried? Why would he be worried about Colin? Just because he was usually twenty minutes ahead of everybody else didn't mean that he couldn't be late once in a while. The guy was only human. It was only natural. There was nothing for him to worry about; he was just being stupid.

But before he knew it, it was already a quarter to two. There was still no sign of Colin. He was nearly an hour late. At this point, Tory was fully able to accept the fact that he was worried. Now he just had to decide what to do from here. Should he wait here and see if he shows up? Or should he look for him? But if he left and went to look for Colin, then maybe he'd miss him and Colin would think that Tory had ditched him. But if he stayed here, there might be something wrong with Colin, and… he would be left waiting there. That was all. He wasn't about to sit alone in the library like an idiot.

Then again, he had been doing just that for an hour. But that was beside the point.

Tory pushed back his chair, standing abruptly. That was it. He was getting out of here, and he was going to find Colin.

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Oh, man! Stuff is actually happening! Ha! I'm also happy because the chapter is a bit longer than usual. So. The plot is actually picking up now, isn't it? Finally. It took forever. Thank you once again to my reviewers, and to my new reviewers whom I wasn't able to acknowledge. (You caught me in between chapters!) Thank you, **TwistedNEK0 **and **Fallen Latte. **Reviews motivate me, so click that little button at the bottom of your screen, okay? And even if you read it but don't feel like reviewing, thanks for reading anyway. 


	4. Found

_Disclaimer: All characters portrayed in this fan-made work belong to their respected creators. The writer gets no currency or physical profit from this._

The moment Tory stepped out of the library he realized that he had no idea where to start looking. He sat on the stoop of the building, running a hand through his hair. Logic said that since they live so close each other, they would take the same route to the library. So in other words, if he re-traced his steps then he was bound to run into Colin. But there was always the chance that he would miss him on the way. Tory rolled his eyes. He was right back where he started and over-thinking. Again.

He'd just wait here until Colin came. It was the best plan of action. His normal sense of paranoia wasn't going to let him become a wreck now, he was going to sit down and think about this rationally. In recollection, he could have kept that up in the library, but he was here now so he might as well stay there. He weighed out the circumstances. It was midday, it wasn't like he was likely to get kidnapped, or mugged. And there was _no _way he would have gotten hurt, or would have had a relapse, and maybe he was waiting for Tory right now but couldn't find him and-

Tory quickly descended down the steps of the library. He started off towards the street from where he came. The farther he walked from the library, the more his thoughts started racing. His walk turned into a jog, turning into a light run, turning into an outright sprint. False self-assurances seemed screamed in his mind, but falling upon a deaf conscious.

"_He just forgot."_

"_He's just running late."_

"_I'm worrying over nothing."_

"_It's nothing, it's nothing, it's absolutely nothing- Oh, God, _please_ let me find him…"_

He turned around a corner, looking left and right to see any signs of the boy. In the back of his mind, he wondered why he was so intent. It's not as if Colin was kidnapped or something, as far as he knew. But he couldn't help it, even if he knew he was starting to get too emotional. Streetlights passed in a flash around him, signs duly ignored, as he knew this area enough to go by memory. He passed a dozen blurred faces, and he was sure that they were staring at him running so fast, but at the moment he truly didn't care. All that mattered right now was finding-

"Colin?" His voice was a breathy whisper. Relief poured into his voice. It turned out Tory didn't have to look far.

But something was wrong, definitely wrong.

"Colin!"

Colin was leaning shakily against a streetlight. It seemed to be the only thing supporting him. His entire body was trembling, and his breathing seemed rather labored. Tory rushed over to him without thinking. At least he was here.

"Are you all right?" Tory said, the small part of him that was relieved to find him gone.

Colin tilted his head up to look at Tory. Tory was a little off-put by how helpless he looked. "Tory… what are you-"

He was about to say more when he grimaced, turning away to cough into his own hand. Tory's brows furrowed together. He had no idea what to do. It was true that he had seen Colin sick before, but this seemed to be especially bad. He stood. On a whim, he offered his hand to Colin. The black-haired boy stared at his outstretched palm in a moment of hesitation before taking it, allowing Tory to hoist him up. Colin placed an arm around Tory's shoulder, trying to support himself. Tory tried not to be distracted by the close proximity of their faces, but it was getting more and more difficult.

"How did… you find me?" Colin murmured, leaning a little against his shoulder. This was an even worse sign, in Tory's opinion. Usually whenever he tried to help Colin he would be promptly shoved away. The fact that he gave in so easily worried him even more. Usually being sick made him irritable, not delirious.

Tory shook his head. "Forget about it. Can you walk like this?"

Colin nodded. "Yeah."

"Good. There's a bus stop near here. You can sit down there or something." Colin's house was too far to walk to in Colin's current condition. Tory wasn't sure what he was going to do from there, but he'd figure something out. Going on instinct wasn't one of his strong suits.

The boy was silent a moment. He muttered something under his breath that Tory couldn't decipher.

"What was that?"

Colin looked away. Tory couldn't tell whether he was blushing or whether he was just flushed. His breathing came out in harsh puffs, so Tory assumed it was the latter. After all, Tory was positive he had never seen the boy blush out of just embarrassment before.

Colin cleared his throat in an effort to speak a little clearer. "Thanks."

Tory paused a moment, glad that Colin was too distracted to look him in the eyes. He realized this was the first time he'd heard Colin express his gratitude to anybody. "Don't worry about it."

They both sat down at the bus stop. Colin seemed to look a little better at this point, though Tory was still concerned in spite of himself. What did his mom usually do when he was sick? He never got sick the same as Colin did, and it was never as frequent, but it couldn't be that different.

"Do you want some water or something?" he asked, feeling a little useless.

Colin shook his head. "No… I'll be fine soon."

Tory scratched the back of his head. "How long were you there like that? Didn't anybody try to help you?"

Colin shrugged. "I wasn't there long."

That still didn't explain anything. "So why were you so late?" Tory blushed, "N-not that I care that you were late, I mean you had a reason, it's just that-"

"I wasn't feeling great in the first place." Colin said, cutting him off. "But I still wanted to come. I don't want to keep falling behind. So I headed out anyway."

Tory sighed. Sometimes he wondered how much common sense Colin had. "You could have just called to cancel, you know. You shouldn't have strained yourself." God, he was _really _beginning to sound like his mother.

"…I guess."

The two of them settled into an awkward silence shortly after. Tory idly kicked a pebble on the ground with his toe. He glanced at his watch. It was already half past two. Had they been sitting here that long? There was no way they'd get as much studying done as Colin probably wanted, but he wasn't really frustrated by it. That surprised him. Usually any wasted time, in his book, was a huge pet peeve of his. Tory glanced over at the other boy, seeing if he was looking any better. Colin was still shivering, but noticeably less severely than before. He rubbed his arms up and down around his body to try and warm himself. Tory sighed. Without really thinking, he unzipped his jacket and handed it to Colin. It was warm enough that he didn't need it anyway- his mom had forced him to take it -but Colin seemed absolutely freezing.

Colin stared at the garment for a moment before looking up at Tory, an oddly quizzical look on his face. Tory tried to look nonchalant.

"Take it. You need it more than me."

Colin hesitantly gripped the sleeve of the jacket before putting it on. He zipped it up, and much to Tory's relief, almost ceased shivering altogether.

"Thanks."

Tory smiled. "Like I said, don't worry about it."

Colin nodded. "I think I'm fine now," he said quietly. "We can head to the library now if you want."

Tory shook his head. "You should probably go home. I'm sure you'll feel better if you do-"

"No!"

Tory started at Colin's rather strong response to the prospect. Even Colin seemed a little surprised at his outburst. He glanced to his side, and replied calmly, "I just don't want to waste it, okay?"

_"He doesn't seem to really like it at home," _Tory thought. It made Tory wonder just what kind of relationship he had with this "Dr. Garrets." He was Colin's guardian but they didn't seem close at all. The thought only served to depress him a little more. Maybe that was why Colin was so introverted. It proved to him once again that he knew so little about Colin, in spite of his efforts.

"If you're sure," Tory replied.

"Yeah. So… stop worrying about me, okay?" Colin said.

"I can't help it," Tory blurted without thinking.

A look of confusion passed over Colin's face at that comment. "Why?"

_"Damn," _Tory thought, _"Why can't I keep my mouth shut…" _The redhead took a deep breath before slumping back in his seat. "Because, you're…"

The same, nagging question passed again through Tory's mind. _What was Colin?_

"Because you're my friend," he finished confidently, standing upright. It would do for now. "I have the right to worry about my friends, don't I?"

Colin's eyes widened a fraction. Tory briefly wondered whether he had said the wrong thing. Maybe Colin didn't even think of them as friends? The response seemed adequate, to Tory's relief, as Colin merely shrugged. He averted his eyes. "Do what you want."

Tory grinned, oddly pleased with himself. Colin was always stubborn; there was no doubting that. "We should probably get going. Can you walk on your own?

"Yeah."

"And with that, he stepped forward and began walking. He looked over his shoulder at Colin, unaware that he wasn't trailing behind him. "Coming?"

Colin inclined his head in a short nod, and proceeded to follow suit.

The relationship that's starting to develop between the two boys, I think, is what I like the most about this chapter. They're lovely, aren't they? Thank you to **Ex-ANIMEADDICT, Kyonkichi89, and Shinigami of Suicide. **To all my reviewers, to all that have taken the time to read this:You guys are the best.


	5. Questions

_Disclaimer: All characters portrayed in this fan-made work belong to their respected creators. The writer gets no currency or physical profit from this.

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Upon arriving at the library once more, Colin immediately began drilling Tory with questions on the last chapter. Tory answered him the best that he could, and Colin seemed duly satisfied. He had been right to assume that Colin was having trouble with kinetic energy. He didn't seem to know the basic principle, let alone the more complex parts.

Tory wasn't surprised that Colin found it difficult, as Mrs. Keplar herself had "gently reminded" the class how the grades as of late were slipping with this unit. This was good for Tory's sake, though. It was more motivation for her to approve the tutoring program and make it official. If more kids were doing poorly, they would need more assistance, and she would have to get it approved as soon as possible. Since Colin was used to studying with Tory already, there was no way he'd be stuck with some other loser. The sessions might be more frequent when it's officially started, but he had no problem with that. Maybe then he'd have even more opportunities to spend time with Colin-

A light flush bloomed on Tory's cheeks, and decided to think no further of it. He still needed Colin to understand the lesson, and his train of thought really wasn't helping him. To think he'd been worried that just being _tired_ would be a problem. Well, he definitely was wide-awake now. At least if he was tired then maybe he'd stop thinking so damn much.

He continued explaining the segment to Colin, trying not to seem too absent-minded.

"…So, kinetic energy is defined by the motion of an object, as in its velocity, and the charge of the body's momentum based on the assumption it's at rest during its starting point."

Colin looked up at Tory with a look of clear incredulity. "What?"

Tory couldn't help but laugh a little bit at his puzzled expression. "It basically means when an object from when it's completely still to when it starts moving. That movement is known as its velocity, which is just moving in one straight direction. The energy it produces when it moves is kinetic energy. Get it?"

Comprehension passedover Colin's face. "Oh." Colin's brow furrowed in confusion momentarily. He leaned over to a book near Tory, pointing to a more complex equation printed on the paper. His hair brushed against the bottom of Tory's chin. Tory vaguely recognized the scent of apricot before he could think twice about it.

_ "I shouldn't be getting so worked up. I shouldn't be thinking about how close he is. I shouldn't be thinking about what his hair smells like. I shouldn't be thinking about how…it's kind of soft… You wouldn't think it but it's really-"_

"…this equation mean?"

Tory started out of yet another inner monologue rather abruptly.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Colin leaned back over to the book in front of Tory, once again coming a little to close to him for Tory's comfort. If it had been anybody else, Tory would have been positive they were doing it on purpose.

"What does this equation mean?" he repeated.

"T-the relation between kinetic energy and momentum," he replied, briefly tripping over his words before regaining his composure. Since when had he developed a habit of stuttering?

Colin gave a short nod, hastily scribbling it down in a notebook Tory had leant him. Tory wasn't surprised that Colin had come unprepared, so he was glad he had an extra.

Tory leaned back in his chair, idly twirling a pencil between his fingertips. Why was he so reactant around Colin? Stuttering when he got too close, blushing at random times around him- it was all getting rather inconvenient. It was true: He knew the reason somewhere in the back of his mind. It even was getting to the point where he was able to admit it to himself, but that didn't mean that he liked it. It was just… strange. More so, it was unexpected. Why, of all people, did he have to be attracted to Colin? He was so hard to talk to, and on top of that he was a _boy._

And what was the basis of his attraction towards Colin, anyway? Was it purely physical? Could it just be a crush? Did he _love _him? It could be a number of things, or it could just be his hormones going haywire. He didn't understand at all, and that's what Tory hated the most.

"What's with you today?"

The redhead glanced down at Colin, who was looking rather befuddled. "What are you talking about?"

"You're spacing out more than usual. You're not even studying."

Tory laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "It's nothing. It's just that I know this material pretty well, so I don't really need to study all that much."

Colin raised a brow. "That's never stopped you before. Usually you just look at a different lesson."

Tory realized that Colin was right; usually he would just occupy himself with something else while Colin studied on his own. For just a moment, Tory wished fervently that he were just a little dumber. Or a least a little bit less motivated in his studies. Maybe then being unoccupied wouldn't arouse such suspicion. Sometimes Tory took pride in his intellect, but right now was definitely not one of those times.

"I'm… sort of tired, I guess," Tory responded stiffly. "Didn't get much sleep last night. You know?" _"Convincing as ever, dumbass," _Tory thought to himself. Only he could make what was actually the truth sound like a blatant lie.

Colin seemed unconvinced but willing to drop the subject. "Fine," he said quietly. Tory couldn't tell, but for a second he looked disappointed. A moment later, he continued his studies, carrying on as if nothing had happened.

Tory stared at Colin a moment, but caught himself and quickly looked away. Somehow he had a feeling that he wasn't the only one with something he wanted to say. He knew Colin had issues at home, yes, and there was this Gaia project thing, but he'd usually kept it under wraps. Tory knew about all those things on his own accord, not because he asked Colin. Colin had never made it obvious that he had problems, aside from his distance towards everybody.

When he thought about it, Tory had known that Colin had such a secret because of luck. It was all circumstance: The fact that they lived by each other, the fact that they were going to the same school. Tory didn't usually take much stock into destiny or crap like that, but it was sort of befitting for their situation. The tutoring program was his plan to try and get to know him better, which he would admit, but none of that could have happened if those foundations weren't built in the first place. Otherwise, other people would surely be curious too. No one paid any mind to him at school besides Mandy and him. Maybe they all just assumed it was his nature to be this secluded.

Tory realized thatColinmight eventrying to open up a little. It was either that, or he was just letting his guard down. Either way, Tory didn't know what he was going to do about it.

He figured he'd check up on Colin after a minute. "Are you getting stuck anywhere?"

"No," he said shortly. Tory inwardly winced at his brevity. He supposed Colin had a right to be irritated, but _ouch._

With nothing else to say for fear of making a further idiot out of himself, Tory tried to occupy himself with a random book on the shelves. The information passed through his brain like a sieve, reading but not really understanding or caring. The ominous sound of the ticking clock on the wall was the only companion to their silence for the rest of the afternoon.

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Author's notes: Argh! I don't like this chapter at all, to be terribly blunt. Most of it was just Tory monologue Oh well. The next chapter, I'm sure, you'll all find more eventful. Not to mention it'll be more fun to _write_… And that's all I have to say about that. As always, thank you to my reviewers, both to those who have reviewed for multiple chapters and those who are just starting to read. **Ex-ANIMEADDICT, airatainted, Kyonkichi89, THANK YOU! **Reviews are my motivation! Press that review button! Press it like ze wind! 


	6. Author's note

Author's note: I apologize profusely for this, however I will not be able to update this story until the fifteenth of August or so. I only inform you of this specifically because I don't want you all to think that I have lost interest in this story when it is quite the contrary. I also fear that people would stop reading because they think the story is discontinued…. It's not. But in any case, Points of Interest WILL be picked up again. I won't have access to the computer for a few weeks, so I won't be able to update, but I promise that the next chapter will be posted as soon as I can.

Thank you all very much, and keep supporting the OffBeat section on There are already good stories on it, from what I can see! Go, OffBeat!


	7. Truth

_Disclaimer: All characters portrayed in this fan-made work belong to their respected creators. The writer gets no currency or physical profit from this.

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By the time they had left the library, it was already starting to get a little dark. That was one thing Tory hated about winter- it got dark so early at this time of year. The sun was beginning to set already and it was only a quarter to seven. It was starting to get a little colder. He was glad that Colin still had his coat, he really was, but he was starting to get a little uncomfortable as the temperature dropped. But he tried not to let it bother him. It was odd, but Colin seemed to be more sensitive to the temperature than he was. Come to think of it, every time he had one of his "relapses," he would be shivering. How had he not noticed that? He'd have to jot that down in his notes later.

Colin broke the silence after a few minutes. "I think I'll be fine for school tomorrow."

Tory gave a nod of approval. "Good," he said, "but if you still need help with it, just tell me."

"Mm-hmm."

Tory tried to smile in an attempt the mood a little more light-hearted. He didn't want Colin to think he was hiding something… which was exactly what he was doing. But he still didn't want Colin to _know_ that. As a last resort, he started to try and make a little small talk. The weather, other classes in school, anything to keep the conversation going. Usually Colin's responses were little more than a sentence long, but at least it was something. In order for him to know more about Colin, there had to be some trust, and that wasn't going to happen if Colin thought he was being dishonest.

Eventually he and Colin fell into a relatively comfortable silence, their footsteps becoming rhythmic with the other. Colin appeared rather focused on the ground, deep in thought. Tory wished that Colin were easier to read. He had no idea what Colin could be thinking. He may as well have been walking in tandem with a brick wall, and frankly brick walls didn't make the mostpleasant ofcompanions.

The shorter boy suddenly looked to meet Tory's eyes. "Why are you doing this for me?"

Tory blinked. He hadn't expected Colin to ask something like that. How could he explain it? "What, study with you? Well… you know…" he faltered, stumbling for an excuse. "It's part of the peer tutoring group and-"

"Not just that. Why are you doing all this? You could have just left the library when I didn't show up. You didn't have to wait so long. You didn't have to look for me. You could have just gone home."

Tory, a little taken aback by the sudden outburst of dialogue, laughed nervously. "What are you talking about? I wouldn't have just left. That would have been stupid." Tory didn't count on Colin being so perceptive. Colin was known to catch on to things quick, but damn it, his observational skills were really beginning to be a pain in his side. It was one more thing Tory felt that he'd done wrong with this whole situation.

"_You _wouldn't have left," Colin pointed out flatly. "Anybody else would've."

He was unsure of how to respond to that. There was so little bitterness in Colin's voice at the statement; he knew that Colin believed it without a second thought. Unfortunately, knowing the way that Colin treated most people, they probably _would_ have left way before Tory did. Tory shifted his weight from foot to foot, becoming more and more uncomfortable.

"I told you. I do this stuff for you because you're my friend." Tory knew he sounded like a complete liar, and felt more and more like he was being backed into a corner.

Colin was starting to sound a little angry at this point. "But _why?_ Why do you want to be my friend, anyway? Do you think because my guardian's a doctor I'm rich? Because I don't want-"

"No!" Tory exclaimed. In all truths, Colin's financial situation hadn't ever come to mind. He'd skimmed over that detail, too. He was slipping. Tory placed pressed his thumb and pointer finger to the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. Maybe he had this all wrong. He was starting to get too emotional, and nothing good was sure to come out of that. "Look, is it that you don't _want _me to think of you that way?"

Colin looked away, unable to meet Tory's eyes anymore. "It's… not that," he murmured, gripping the sleeve of Tory's jacket.

_"Well, at least that's one thing I know for sure," _Tory thought to himself. A small tinge of reassurance mingled with his anxiety.

"Then why do you think I wouldn't want to be your friend?"

Colin didn't respond. The sky began to turn hues of pinks and gold, sending a twilight glow onto the streets. Colin's eyes reflected the colors of the sunset in the swiftly coming night. Streetlights began to flicker on, illuminating the sidewalk. There was almost nobody on the streets but the two of them, which was a rather strange occurrence for this time of night. Tory placed a hand on Colin's shoulder, an effort to comfort him somehow.

Tory tried to smile in what looked like a friendly manner, though it was a futile effort. "There really doesn't have to be a reason, does there? I want to be your friend because I like being around you. That's all."

Tory took a little solace in the fact that he wasn't _technically_ lying. But if he did tell Colin now… if he did tell him what he felt for him, he had no idea what would happen. He wanted to be honest with Colin, but honesty was getting to be pretty dangerous. Colin could reject him. He could be disgusted. He could never want to see him again. He could do all of those things; he could do even worse. Admittedly, Tory couldn't think of a "worse," but he was sure that there must be something.

The two of them seemed at a loss with anything to say. Tory knew that he should be heading home, and he knew that his mom would probably be furious, but there was no way he was just going to leave at this point. There was too much left unsaid right now, and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he just left now. Colin's voice permeated the silence between them with a single question, his voice quiet but firm.

"Is that all?"

Tory couldn't help the gasp that escaped his throat unbidden. Colin's eyes pierced his own without hesitance or any sign of looking away. Tory exhaled deeply. Colin could say or do so very little and make it have such little impact. Tory could babble on for years and it would be as if he'd stayed completely silent.

Colin's question left Tory with quite a few options on how to respond. Tory could have just said yes, that was all. He could have just shaken it off like he didn't know what Colin was talking about. He could play the fool and be safe. But Colin… Colin didn't deserve that. He deserved to know exactly what Tory's intentions were. Honesty might be dangerous, but lying was getting old. It went completely against his judgment, and it was probably insane, but…

"No, it's not all."

Tory always figured he wouldn't be the one to start his first kiss. He always imagined the other person would take the initiative in that situation, though he probably thought about it less than the standard teenager. He expected, at least, for it to feel rather nice, which it certainly did. What he didn't expect was the feeling of warmth, of intimacy that he'd never felt before. It was the same as his dream the night before, but it was somehow completely different. The sensation was much more concrete, so much more _real_ that it almost made Tory want to pull away the moment he made contact with Colin's lips. He felt Colin's mouth slightly open against his, obviously unprepared for Tory's impulsive kiss. All he could do now was hope for the best.

When the two pulled apart, Colin's cheeks were completely flushed, but this time Tory could tell it was embarrassment and not fever. Colin touched his own lips with his fingertips, as if trying to touch the passed kiss somehow. Tory gazed unhesitant at Colin. There was no reason for him to seem sheepish now, and there were no secrets to hide. If he was going to deal with Colin's reaction, he may as well face it head on.

"Why… did you do that?" Colin murmured, head still bowed.

Tory blinked. That should have been obvious. "Because I wanted to."

Colin grimaced. "So you'd kiss anyone just because you wanted to?"

Tory had to stifle a smile, in spite of the heavy air around the two. Why did he alwaysseem so giddywhen he was nervous? "I wouldn't kiss _anybody_ because I wanted to. That wouldn't be any fun, would it?"

Colin let a ghost of a smile flit across his face, but it disappeared in a minute. Right then, he was deadly serious- even more so than usual. He put a hand on Tory's arm.

"Can I ask… why me?"

Tory sighed. Colin seemed to be asking him that question a lot. "Because I like you," he said, rather surprised he couldsay it so easily.

Colin seemed far from satisfied with that answer. "Friends like each other, too. It's no reason for you to _kiss _me."

Tory shook his head. "It's not the same thing. With you it's different."Tory was laying all this out in the open without a second thought, but he felt like his heart was in his throat. He knew it; Colin was mad at him. He should have just kept it to himself. Screw nobility.

But even with that in mind, words just kept spilling out of Tory's mouth. His words were disoriented and he knew he sounded like a child, but he didn't care."I can't help it. I'm always worrying about you, and I think about you all the time, and I wish I could have told you sooner because I didn't want to lie to you, and I-" Colin raised his hand, a signal that he understood. Tory immediately clammed up, feeling more and more humiliated. The silence that hung in the air was unbearable.

Finally, Colin spoke."Are you saying that you…?" he trailed off, letting Tory fill in the blanks.

Tory had no idea where he was getting this boldness from, but at least he wasn't running away. "Yeah, I am. Did you… know about it?"

Colin drew a little closer. "I wasn't sure but… it explains a lot," he said, always one for brevity.

Tory couldn't help but outright laugh then. Colin even managed to laugh a little. He placed his hand on Colin's waist. "So, do you, too?"

Colin nodded, showing no discomfort at the contact. "Yeah. I wasn't sure but…I do."

Tory, for just a moment, hated the streetlights for illuminating what was no doubt a wildfire flush on his face.

"So… are we… together?" Colin asked, drawing closer to Tory. It seemed that both of their eloquence was completely down the drain. The two's faces were inches apart.

"Only if you want us to be," Tory responded quietly, the proximity of Colin's lips eliminating what was left of his reservations.

"All right."

With that, their lips met again, all shyness and uncertainty swept away with one movement. Colin gripped at Tory's shirtsleeve, definitely more enthusiastic than he was minutes before. Tory couldn't help the feeling of incredulity of this whole situation that overwhelmed him. He had to be dreaming; he had to be- there was no way that this could actually be happening. Part of him expected to hear his alarm clock blaring in his ear any moment. But the feeling of Colin's lips on his own was enough to convince him: This was definitely real. And God, he loved that more than anything.

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Author's note: Well! It turns out that I was able to get to a computer in between vacations. YAY! I'm sad to say that it's definite that I won't be able to update again until the middle of August. Yes, you heard me right, it's ain't over yet ladies and gentlemen! Our favorite boys are finally together, but as with all cheesy stories such as this, there's still more to come! Now for thank yous for my reviewers for the last chapter: **Kyonkichi89**, **airatainted**, **ArtificialLung**, and **Fuji Fox**, thank you so much! You all rock to the fullest extent of rockingness. Yes, that is a word.


	8. Goodnight

_Disclaimer: All characters portrayed in this fan-made work belong to their respected creators. The writer gets no currency or physical profit from this._

In most situations, Tory was astoundingly articulate for his age. His maturity was beyond his years, in most situations, though sometimes it was hard to remember when he was (in Paul's words) "acting like a little brat." But when he wasn't being a "brat," it was a trait that his teachers praised him for, to be able to verbalize so clearly and so much like an adult. It something his mother was quite proud of as well. So it was no surprise that a thousand and one words were applicable to how Tory felt that night, walking on the dark streets of the city with Colin stepping beside him in a welcome, warm silence. The way their hands brushing and eyes meeting, pleasurably embarrassed and bashful: There was a thousand- no, a million, and endless amount of- ways to say it. Each one didn't seem to perfectly express just what this sensation was.

There was no other way to say it, truly, but surreal.

The sky had turned to midnight blue, stars speckling the sky in patterns Tory had seen before. It was ironic to think that just the night before, he had been looking at the same sky alone- the same sky he took for granted, thinking it was so much less beautiful obscured by the city lights- and now it was the most amazing night sky he'd ever witnessed with this boy by his side. He glanced Colin's way, and smiled seeing his face craned upwards as well.

The redhead reached his hand just inches away, finding the warmth of Colin's palm a little surprising. He expected the boy to feel cooler. Colin averted his attention from the night sky, his eyes locking with Tory's. He couldn't help but suppress a laugh at Colin's embarrassed expression- maybe they were skipping around first steps as a couple, but it didn't matter. Tory felt Colin's hand tighten around his, and that was all the reassurance he needed.

The two arrived at Colin's doorstep, apparently at a loss for what should happen next. Everything was out in the open now for the two of them, but Tory supposed that to some degree, the tension between them would be there for a while. Was it always awkward like this between new couples? He opened his mouth several times, trying to say what he wanted to, before realizing that he did not know what that was. And that opening and closing his mouth made him look rather like a goldfish out of water. Which, while very endearing for a three-year-old with his face against a fish tank, was not so much the case for him.

Colin was the first to speak, however softly or shyly it might have been.

"So I'll see you at school on Monday… right?"

Tory nodded, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. Thank God one of them had a functioning voice box, because Tory seemed to have misplaced his. He cleared his throat (since when did it get so dry?) "Y-yeah."

The two stood awkwardly a moment longer on the stoop. Tory shifted his weight from foot to foot, staring fixatedly at the doorbell, if only to give him something to stare _at. _Something told him that staring at Colin so blatantly wouldn't be a far cry from creepy.

And this timidity was really beginning to get on his nerves.

He'd just begun to admire the fine woodwork of the molding of Colin's door when Colin's eyes widened, as if just remembering something. "Oh, your jacket…" he murmured, halfway undoing the zipper before Tory shook his head hastily.

"It's fine. You can give it back to me on Monday."

"…You're sure?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"…Thank you."

"So… bye," Tory said, and on instinct, gave Colin a chaste kiss on the lips (It was actually more like on the corner of his lips; Tory really needed to work on his aim) before turning on his heel and stepping off of Colin's front porch without another word. His stride was overly pronounced and stiff, taking very long steps towards his own front door.

Colin chuckled to himself, leaning against one of the support beams on his stoop. He stared at the redhead's retreating back for a moment before turning to unlock his own door, knowing Dr. Garrets wouldn't really care if he were late. He smiled to himself. Yes, Tory was a shy kid; that was for sure. "Cute" definitely came to mind. Yeah, that was it. Tory was definitely being cute.

Colin would never call him on that, though. Then he might stop.

And _that_ certainly wouldn't be any fun.

With a smile on his lips, Colin stepped up to his room. He glanced down the hall at Dr. Garrets' office. The light was still on, so he must still be working. He sighed, turning the knob to his bedroom door. He blinked in surprise as one of his cats jumped into his arms, nuzzling at his neck, batting at a strand of hair hanging over his forehead. Colin gently placed the feline on the ground, allowing it to rub against his ankles and mewl quietly for attention.

He crawled into bed, glancing at the clock. It was still pretty early, but for some reason, he was oddly fatigued. It had been a long day, he supposed. Head hit pillow, eyes closed shut, and soon the boy was fast asleep.

The moment Tory stepped through the door he felt a sense of foreboding. He gulped, realizing how late it must be now. Oh God, what time had he said he would be home? What time was it now? Was his Mom still up? What the hell possessed him not to wear a watch today? Maybe she wouldn't notice-

"Do you have any idea how late it is?"

Tory jumped. He turned to see his mother standing in the hallway, hands on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently. Tory glanced at the clock. 9:39. He'd been out for a long time. "Erm… later than I… should be…?" He said hesitantly, forcing a laugh.

"Tory, you said you would be home hours ago," She scolded, tapping her watch with her index finger. "It's not as safe as you would think in the streets at night. I thought you would have enough common sense to know that."

Tory scratched the back of his neck. He _did _know that, but he was just a tad bit occupied. "Well... I guess…"

"Not just 'I guess,' Tory. I don't know if I should trust you to be out as late as you were if you're unable to keep your promises."

"I know. I'm really sorry." Tory said. Sometimes it was just better to beg for forgiveness after the fact and hope for the best. It was a tactic he'd learned from many an indiscretion with authority figures. "I won't let it happen again."

Mary sighed, letting her arms fall to her sides. "I know you are. Just… call me from a pay phone if you're going to be late. I worry about you."

"I know, Mom," Tory repeated, hoping the lecture would end soon.

"And I hope you understand that I have a right as your mother to know where you are-"

"I know, Mom."

"-And that I should be grounding you right now-"

"… I know, Mom."

"-And against my better judgment, I won't." Her features softened, her famous What-In-The-World-Am-I-Going-To-Do-With-You smile rampant. "But if you pull this again, the next time you're staying out after 9:00 will be when you have your own place. Understand?"

Tory forced a laugh, if only to try and make light of the fact that he wouldn't put it past her to do exactly that.

She sat down on the couch. "Can you at least tell me why you were gone so long?"

Tory gave a sharp intake of breath, nearly imperceptible to anything but the famed mother's eye. "Colin and I just kinda… I wasn't really looking at the clock," he said stiffly. He could never lie to his mother so easily. "We weren't keeping proper track"

His mother raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it but seemingly content to let it slide. "I see." She smiled disarmingly. "All right then. Just don't let it happen again," she said smoothly, waltzing off to the kitchen.

Tory nodded, a little too jerkily for his own liking. "Right." Oh God, she had that "I-know-something's-up-but-I'm-not-going-to-pursue-it-for-_now_" look. Tory _hated _that look.

Suddenly, Tory realized with a jolt that he was absolutely starving. He didn't have much of anything to eat all day. All he'd eaten besides breakfast was a bag of chips from a vending machine. _Colin can't have eaten much either,_ he mused. _No wonder he's so skinny if he can go that long without eating._

"Hey, Mom?" Tory said, "Paul didn't eat the leftover's from last night, did he?"

"Hm?" She said, rummaging through a cabinet. "Ah, let's see… yes, I think so. Why? Don't tell me you didn't eat anything."

Tory laughed, trying to come off as nonchalant. God knows he'd get chastised even more if he admitted that. "N-no, Colin and I got some lunch after studying. I was just a little hungry."

She nodded. "Well, all right." Once again Tory hated, hated, hated the fact that his mother seemed to be the one person he would never be able to lie to effectively. But oh well. He was way too tired, and way too hungry (Damn it, Paul…) to really care at the moment. He stretched his arms above his head, slumping into his bedroom and falling flat on his face onto the bed, not even bothering to change out of his street clothes.

A rush hit him all at once at the events that transpired that night, and he suddenly felt mindlessly giddy, like he wanted to run around the block forty times screaming, "_I finally friggin' told him!" _But the fact remained that firstly, it was absolutely freezing outside, not to mention that it was way too late for Crazy, thank you very much, and secondly, Colin lived right across the street and would no doubt both hear him and dub him a nut job for doing so. Which is not the best impression to give on somebody who you had just kinda-sorta-maybe professed your love to. So with that amusing image of running down the block at quarter to ten at night in his head, he made the decision to continue laying face down and be perfectly content to lie absolutely still.

He smiled full blast into his pillow, feeling both enormously relieved and somehow just as nervous. A weight had fallen from his shoulders, but it was possible that one much bigger had descended. What would he tell his mother? Or Paul? Did he even really need to know? Who was he kidding; Paul was basically his only real "friend" before Colin and Mandy. Even if he didn't tell him, he knew he'd figure it out. Would people at school find out? No, scratch that- he couldn't care less what they thought, when it came down to it, if they were all anything like Mandy's lovely friends.

Oh, God, Mandy. What would she say? He didn't take her to be the closed-minded type, just the opposite, but would she still be weirded out? After all, Tory had always suspected that she had a tiny bit of a crush on him. It had become less obvious as of late, but who knows? Maybe she still harbored those feelings? Would she reject the two of them altogether? He really did value Mandy's friendship, even though Tory knew he would regrettably take it for granted from time to time.

There were so many people to consider. But when it came down to it, there were relatively few that he cared about. His mom, Mandy, Paul… He didn't want to lose any of them, or have them think too differently of him. They were all that mattered to him right now.

And Colin.

Tory saw Colin's face in his mind- saw his smile, his eyes, his hair, heard his voice still fresh in his mind- and decided that right now, all of that didn't matter. It would all work out in the end, of that he was certain. He was sure they'd be all right.

Author's Note: Wow. I… actually updated this. I bet you all thought it was dead, and for good reason. Ahahaha. I am so sorry for the long, long, LONG delay in this fic- to be honest, I absolutely lost any kind of interest in it for a while. I'm very sorry. To those of you who have reviewed asking for a new chapter or when the next one will be posted, I apologize for having made the wait this long. I'm happy to see that the OffBeat fandom is growing, too! That's always a treat to see with a series that I like. Thank you, once again, to those of you who have read this fic. I promise that it won't be so ridiculously long for the next update! With the release of the second book, my OffBeat muse has come to life once again. And thank goodness for that, too, because a new chapter for this has been nagging in my head for who knows how long. At least I have a plot mapped out! Thank you all very, very much, to those of you who have read so far, and thank you to those of you who have stumbled across this fic just now. I'm humbled and overjoyed by every review.


	9. Worry

_Disclaimer: All characters portrayed in this fan-made work belong to their respected creators. The writer gets no currency or physical profit from this.

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_Sunday, February 4th, 2007, 3:47 PM: Let it be recorded that this is officially the Longest Day of My Life._

Tory hastily crossed out the scrawled message at the top of the newest page in his notebook. He ran his fingers through his hair several times, trying to keep his bangs out of his eyes, before shaking his head violently and letting the strands fall into their messy state. Tory would have never imagined the day after confessing his love to somebody to be so unbearably dull. Not that he imagined it in the first place. Because he did not. Really.

But for Pete's sake –That was such a weird phrase, "For Pete's sake." Who was the first person that had said that, anyway? And to whom were they referring? Perhaps St. Peter? That was most likely it, the more he thought of it. It seemed rather archaic, so for it to have some kind of religious roots wasn't that far out of a theory. Turns of phrases were weird, really, and… and for another matter entirely, did his mind have a friggin' _off switch? _In his right mind, he didn't care whether it referred to St. Peter or Peter Pan. Whatever "his right mind" meant. And now he had forgotten about what he was thinking of in the first place entirely. A bored and wandering mind such as Tory's was slightly dangerous. That certainly had to be noted.

He knew what had brought on this apathy, of course: Absolutely nobody was around. He was completely without any kind of human company. His mom was out with her girlfriends, probably watching a chick flick or chatting over coffee and getting biscotti. He didn't know what Moms did on their days off; he didn't even know if his mom _liked _biscotti. Did she? He remembered her saying something about them, or perhaps that was scones- Oh dear _Lord._ He was beginning to face a striking realization that he was terribly boring when unoccupied. In a fleeting moment of mirth he felt lucky that he wasn't one of those types who talked to themselves aloud all day. He'd probably fall asleep.

All of that aside, he really had no options. Paul was out somewhere, probably with a few of his college friends. Tory remembered meeting one of them when his Mom had asked him to stop by to ask for paper towels. Technically, they didn't meet, but Tory _did _see him passed out on Paul's couch. He must have looked just confused enough, because Paul had grinned, jerking his head in his direction. "Can't hold his alcohol," he stage-whispered, grinning broadly, only to have a pillow thrown at him from behind and hit him straight in the head. At the time, Tory couldn't help but think that he had damn good aim for a half-conscious twenty year old with a hangover.

And Colin… Well. He wasn't entirely sure that he could face Colin right now without spazzing out or throwing up before he'd calmed down a little. Neither of those options struck him as potentially appealing for him _or_ Colin.

As for Mandy, his hands were tied when it came to her. Mandy was a great friend. She was. But the two of them together, without anybody else, would seem way too much like a date for his liking. He'd probably feel that way regardless of Colin. And especially since last night's events, that would be rather awkward. She didn't know what had happened, but he did, and that was enough.

Tory sighed, rapping his knuckles against his forehead. Damn it. More stupid ideas of what was going to happen next assaulted his mind. He turned over on his top bunk, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling, finding patterns in the textured surface. He couldn't help but think how much more stressful this was than most other situations he'd found himself in. This was completely new to him. He'd never had a girlfriend let alone a _boyfriend_ (was that what they were?) before. But, as weird as it sounded, it wasn't so much a bad thing. It was more like a fluttering nervousness, like his heart and his head were that of a hummingbird. He draped an arm over his eyes, breathing deeply. He realized he'd barely even thought about the Gaia Project ever since that night. It just never crossed his mind. He shouldn't let it slip his mind; he knew that. The nagging feeling came to him more and more: that it was something drastic happening, right under his nose, and it was important. The more he found out, the more he was convinced that it wasn't just his imagination. There was too much to contradict that. Especially since there seemed to be more and more instances of Colin's sickness lately-

Tory's eyes suddenly snapped fully open, coming to a realization.

The logic came together easily in his mind once that one thought clicked. From what he could gather, the Gaia project seemed relatively underground, if not completely under the radar with any official or major medical companies. Or perhaps it was the opposite- that it was a huge cover-up among businesses nobody knew about? Either option seemed plausible at this point. Why would he have been the only one to realize this? Surely he couldn't be the only one. But still, there wasn't anything on it on the Internet that wasn't blocked with firewalls and security measures, and Dr. Garrets' suspicious behavior didn't support his case. There was way too many options and venues of conclusion. Tory severely doubted there was much that could be completely ruled out as impossible. Could it be the government? Perhaps it was a small, low class pharmaceutical cloak-and-dagger situation? Maybe it wasn't governmentally or corporately involved, but in all likelihood it was a small circle of people. That meant that there must either be excessive or very little security and health measures taken into account, and that the secrecy didn't allow Colin to be cared for properly, if at all. He knew that it was most likely the former, but the possibility of it was enough for Tory to-

His train of thought was forced to halt in an instant. They couldn't do that. They couldn't put a minor in danger like that; it was illegal and grossly unethical. But the thoughts kept on swirling in his head, kept prodding. What if the Gaia Project itself is illegal? If that were the case, would they really abide by the law when it came to the basic rights of a minor?

_There would be nothing to protect him then._

Tory clenched his fists tight, jamming his eyes shut. How could he have been so stupid? He cursed himself for only just thinking of the possibility now: He cursed his selfishness, his single-mindedness, his carelessness; manifesting itself further in a flood of hate for anybody that would _dare_- anybody that would even _try_ to do anything to him-

"Shit," he murmured aloud voice catching in his throat He was getting emotional again. That was the absolute last thing he needed. He sat straight up, leapt down from his bed with his hands still fisted firmly at his sides, stepping out of his room. Suddenly he couldn't sit still. He stomped into the empty living room, glancing at the clock in passing. Mom wouldn't be back until around 6:30. It was 4:17 right now. He had at least enough time to clear his head.

He took out his jacket from the hall closet, pulling his arms through the sleeves and moving towards the door. Tugging on his sneakers, he grabbed a winter hat from the hanger near the doorway and jammed it on his head. It was bitterly cold that day; the drastic drop in temperature that seemed to come every February was right on schedule. He couldn't care less right then, pulling the door open and welcoming the rush of cold air that blew into the room.

Walking swiftly with his head bowed against the wind, he tried to lessen the effect of the icy chill. Eyes squinted against unforgiving temperatures; the wind chill blowing the coldest it had been all year. The weather's definitely a swift kick to the senses, he thought bitterly. Not that it made him any calmer. If anything, he was worked up even more than before. Having negative ten degree wind chills whip through you wasn't the greatest mood lifter, he realized.

He paused, glancing up at the sky, eyes nearly shut. Gray, gray, gray. All the skies and the streets seemed to mould into different shades of warm and cool grays, a shadow of the cloudless evening just a few hours before. Last night, the streets were beautiful and enigmatic, the embodiment of the so-called romantic portrayal of city streets that was so popular. Last night, the city felt almost warm and welcoming, like to harm could come to them. Last night, they were-

…Last night.

Tory inhaled deeply, the memories flooding back in a breath of warmth. A pleased smile bloomed on his face, suddenly feeling much happier than he had been seconds before. This, this was what he needed the most. Just to be able to think of him. For a second, everything else didn't matter. His racing heartbeat calmed, all in a rush, eyes fluttering shut for just a brief moment. Suddenly re-energized,Tory stretched his arms above his head and continued walking against the upcoming wind.

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Author's note: Well, I guess it's been a while. But not nearly so long as my last gap between updates, right? Ahaha. Anyway! I know that this is a pretty dull chapter. It's more or less around Tory being lovesick, (Count of three, 1, 2, 3: Aw.) a bit of character development here and there. I'm not sure if I'm happy with where this fic is going or not, but I'll do my best. It's actually going to be much longer than I had anticipated, so if it seems a little drawn out at times I'm sorry. Reviewers, thank you so much for taking the time to click on my story and write a little something for me to see. It makes my day. I'm flattered, and trying to do Jen Lee Quick's series justice. I'm probably failing at that, but that doesn't mean I won't do my best! I think that's only fair, considering we're allowed to write fanfiction about it and all. Heh. Y'know, I might just do some sort of extra kind of oneshot on the side for Offbeat. Something that has absolutely nothing to do with this story. I don't know. I gotta think of something. But that's irrelevant! Please review! 


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